Immigration

Sports Fans Don't Complain Their Championship-Winning Team Employs Too Many Immigrants

Critics of high-skilled immigration should take note.

Stuart Anderson | 6.16.2026 3:50 PM

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An immigrant saved the now-champion New York Knicks in Game 4 of the NBA Finals and demonstrated why U.S. companies seek the best talent regardless of where someone was born. Every fan expects their team's owner and general manager to draft, sign, or acquire the best talent available. Customers and shareholders also assume a company tries to hire the best people it can find.

Trailing by one point after almost erasing a 29-point deficit in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Knicks forward OG Anunoby hustled downcourt and blocked a layup by San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox. Shortly after, in a now-famous play, Anunoby sprinted to the basket and tipped in a missed shot by teammate Jalen Brunson to secure an improbable comeback victory for the Knicks, paving the way for their first championship in half a century.

A similar story played out in the World Cup last week. The U.S. beat Paraguay 4–1 in their opening match on the strength of two goals by striker Folarin Balogun. Immigration attorney Greg Siskind pointed out that if the U.S. did not have birthright citizenship, Balogun likely would not be playing for the U.S. team in the World Cup. "Balogun was born in Brooklyn, New York to Nigerian parents, but moved to the UK soon after and grew up in London, meaning that he was eligible to play for any of the three nations," according to ESPN. This is nothing new: In the 1950 World........

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